2011 Panini NFL Player of the Day Winner to Spend a Day with Cardinals RB Beanie Wells

Byron Guerra, a 17-year-old high school student and trading card collector from Phoenix, Ariz., turned one lucky pack of officially licensed Panini America NFL trading cards into one fantastic grand prize: The chance for him, his friends and family to spend the day on March 3 with Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells.

Guerra is one of the more than 100,000 NFL card collectors who participated in the 2011 Panini NFL Player of the Day contest, which was sponsored at more than 500 hobby shops nationwide from September through November. He is among the thousands who earned prizes but as the Grand Prize winner, he will be the only one to spend the day with an NFL player.

Wells will attend a private party for Guerra’s family and friends from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Following the party, Guerra and his friends will take a limousine with the NFL star to their favorite hobby shop – Valley Trophies & Sports Cards (7333 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix). There, the community will join Guerra as winners when the Cardinals’ running back spends an hour (12:30-1:30 p.m.) signing free autographs and posing for photos. Guerra will also receive a $250 shopping spree to spend on Panini America products at Valley Trophies & Sports Cards.

At least 200 fans will collect a free autograph from Wells at the event. Collectors can “reserve” a spot at the front of the line in advance by visiting Valley Trophies & Sports Cards before the event. All other autographs will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.For details, visit Valley Trophies & Sports Cards or call the store at 623-873-0262.

“I am thrilled for Byron, his friends and family as well as our loyal customers who will truly enjoy this memorable experience,” said Bert Yarlott owner of Valley Trophies & Sports Cards. “I’m glad to be a part of his special day.”

Stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for complete coverage of the event on Saturday.

His journey began when he uncovered the designated Panini NFL Player of the Day from a pack of cards he purchased at the hobby shop. Each participating store selected a grand prize winner for a spot in the national sweepstakes in which Guerra proved to be the luckiest of the entrants. More than 60 collectors earned prizes in the national sweepstakes, including autographed footballs and autographed NFL trading cards.

Wells led the Cardinals with 1,047 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns during the 2011 season. In three NFL seasons, the former first-round pick from Ohio State University has tallied 2,237 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns. He set a career high with 228 yards on 27 carries in a 23-20 win over St. Louis on Nov. 27, 2011.

The 2011 Panini NFL Player of the Day promotion included more than 500 hobby shops across the country. Panini America and NFL PLAYERS coordinated the promotion. This marks the 12th consecutive year that the NFL Player of the Day program has given an NFL card collector the chance to spend the day with an NFL player. Past players have included Pierre Thomas, Patrick Crayton, Steve Slaton, AJ Feely, Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Simms, Rudi Johnson, Donald Driver, Ed McCaffrey, Chad Pennington and Frank Wycheck.

Looks like an outstanding event, my fellow YouTube collector Tommy aka uptopar84 would be SO jealous of the experience as he super-collects Beanie Wells! I’d love to get one of those autographs to send his way!